Three to Tally

            I've always loved Thomas Kinkade's paintings. As you've probably noticed if you've been reading my blog posts or watching my own videos for any length of time, I try to slip in one of his pictures as often as I can get away with it. Friends of mine have pointed out that many of his pictures feel lonely and empty because they don't have people in them. While I can see their point, (though I do take pleasure in pointing out every time one of Kinkade's paintings does contain a visible human) I think his paintings always contain the presence of people even if they don't show them. The houses always have lights on in the windows, the paths are always well trodden, the gardens and villages are beautifully kept. I don't get the illusion of loneliness when I look at Kinkade's pictures, instead I feel silence; quiet. I think in not putting too many people in his idyllic scenes, Kinkade compels us to meditate in silence on God's glory. I don't know if that was his actual intent, but that's what I get out of his pictures.

           They all cause me to stop and be silent as I delight in the beauty of God's creation. I believe that if I could step into the picture, quietness would greet me there.

 
            To be quiet is exactly what today's song asks us to do. Yes, Christ's birth is a time for us to Shout for Joy, but I think it also calls from us like Kinkade's paintings a certain measure of silence as we realize the extent of what God has done for us.